Sydrian One-Shot Collection
by eveningstar1996
Summary: A collection of Sydrian one-shots. Send in an idea, and you may see it in another chapter! I hope that by writing Sydrian one-shots that I can someday resume writing A Golden Love. Kissing, witty banter, spirit's darkness, and anything in between!
1. A Flame in the Dark

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bloodlines.

Post _Indigo Spell_. What happens when Adrian begins his strange ramblings from spirit, and only Sydney is by his side?

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A Flame in the Dark

After I closed my eyes, Adrian's apartment materialized around me and I instantly recognized that I was in a spirit dream. These dreams were something I looked forward to every night. I looked for Adrian, and smiled when I saw him walking to me. As he got closer, my heart stopped.

Adrian's green eyes seemed so lost and haunted, like he'd forgotten who he was. His dark hair was just messy, with none of the stylish messiness I had come to appreciate, and his face was gaunt. He looked like an old man who had aged before his time. I looked at him, feeling as if my heart was going to break. This was the man I loved, and yet he wasn't. He was a shell. His use of spirit in dreams for the past months had finally culminated to _this_.

Fear and heartbreak filled me. I wasn't afraid of Adrian himself - I was afraid of spirit's darkness.

"Everything's so dark," he murmured, looking at me. His eyes saw me but I got the feeling he wasn't really seeing me. His eyes were like the broken bits of a kaleidoscope. "It's like the darkness will crush and suffocate me. I used to drink and smoke to keep it at bay. Now, I only have my painting to keep away the darkness, and it doesn't feel like it's enough. When will the darkness come and take me away forever?"

I knelt by his side, and put my arms around his shoulders. I felt helpless, not knowing exactly how to help him. Maybe if Jill was here…but she wasn't, so I would have to give helping Adrian my best shot. I wouldn't let him slip away from me ."Adrian, I'm here. I won't let the darkness take you away. I'll fight those shadows and keep them away."

"Sometimes, I feel like my grip on reality is slowly slipping," he said, his voice a whisper. He sounded so desolate, and my heart broke even further listening to him talk. "Maybe it would be easier to just let go. Let the darkness claim me. I don't really have that much to offer the world, besides my art and my spirit powers. There isn't much to live for anyway."

"No," I insisted, cupping his face and looking into his eyes. _Come back to me, please_. "You're an amazing man, with a lot to offer the world. You have reasons to live. Your art. Jill. Hopper. Me."

His eyes locked with mine, and I saw that they'd become a bit more focused. A bit of hope sparked in me. It wasn't completely hopeless yet. "Hopper, huh? Our little love child dragon."

"Where would he be without his 'father?'" I asked, managing a small smile. I had to keep him here, and prevent spirit's darkness from overcoming him. I had to save him, even though I didn't know how. This was when I wished Rose was here so she could give me advice to help him. "Especially when I first summoned him. You were all manly and brave, scooping him into that basket."

This brought a faint trace of a smile to Adrian's face. I continued, "You told me that I was your flame in the dark, and that we chase the shadows around each other. You've been there for me so many times. It's my turn to be there for you – to chase away _your_ shadows."

"But my shadows are growing darker and bigger," Adrian whispered, looking scared.

I wish I could reach into his mind and take away the darkness that spirit had caused. I felt guilty that spirit was taking its toll on him – and it was because of me. Ever since my little sister Zoe had arrived in Palm Springs as a junior Alchemist, I couldn't be with Adrian as openly as before, in that brief span of time when I had admitted my love for him to myself.

I was pretty sure that Zoe's alliances would not lie with her big sister – they would lie with the Alchemists. Our relationship had become strained when I had taken over the Palm Springs assignment, and even though it'd improved with her arrival…I couldn't take any more risks than I already had.

As though he could read my thoughts, Adrian shook his head, but the motion seemed to cause him a great deal of effort. "No, Sage. It's not your fault that I'm surrounded in shadows. It's a small price to pay to see you safely, away from the eyes of the Alchemists."

I shook my head. "It's hurting you! And if you keep using spirit like this…" I couldn't bear to finish, and tears shimmered in my eyes. Adrian would eventually be driven insane. I couldn't stand the thought of my strong, witty Adrian being driven to insane and having to live out the rest of his days in an asylum.

"No," he murmured, but he sounded uncertain. I was determined to not let him leave me.

I rested my hands on either side of his face, and whispered, "I will chase your shadows away. They won't linger for long when I'm here. I'll always be here. You're here with me. You're not getting away from me."

"Sage," he murmured softly. His eyes focused on me again, and this time I could see that he was really here with me.

I threw my arms around him, burying my head in his chest. He'd sounded so close to slipping away from me and into the darkness of insanity. "My personal goddess. You'll always be my flame in the dark, lighting my way."

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**Author's note**: Just a Sydrian one-shot! Reviews/ideas for more one-shots? Might be adding more stories with my ideas :)


	2. Mrs Ivashkov

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bloodlines.

Sydney and Adrian are finally getting married!

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Mrs. Ivashkov

I smiled at my reflection. This was one of the few times where I actually believed that I was beautiful, and it brought an old memory back to mind.

"_You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen walking this earth."_

My hair had been left in a simple side ponytail that fell over my left shoulder, and in the sunshine, it shone like gold. A white veil covered me all the way down to my arms. I wore a white dress with straps, and a skirt that flowed down like a waterfall. The shimmery fabric of the skirt reminded me of the flowing nature of water. I almost couldn't recognize myself in the mirror, and I turned away from my reflection.

Today, I was getting married to Adrian. After several long years of dating secretly, we would finally marry.

It had taken a lot of effort for us to get to this point, with my breaking my golden lily tattoo, shipment off to Re-education, Adrian's rescuing me…but we were finally here. No one could possibly ruin the love and romance of my wedding day.

I hurried out of my make-up room and into the car that was waiting for me. I slid in, and the car began to drive to the flower garden where I would get married.

If I'd had a chance, I would've chosen to get married in Rome or Florence. I had yet to see those places in person, but Adrian had said we should get married somewhere quiet first. I wondered where we were going to for our honeymoon, but I knew better than to ask. He would simply give me very vague, infuriating answers, and I always wanted to know everything.

I looked over at the empty seat beside me, and sighed. Traditionally, my father should've been the one to walk me down the aisle, but ever since I had left the Alchemists…we hadn't spoken. I spoke to my mom, Carly, and even Zoe occasionally. My mom was waiting for me at the outdoor venue Adrian and I had chosen to hold our wedding, and she would walk me down the aisle.

Despite my strained relationship with my father, I had kind of hoped that if I got married, he would walk me down the aisle. I sighed to myself. He would certainly be appalled if he knew that I was marrying a Moroi, and accuse me of consorting with "unnatural creatures of the night." All he knew was that I had escaped Re-education, and that was that.

The garden came into view, and I caught my breath. All kinds of flowers were in bloom, filling the entire garden with color. Reds, blues, whites, pinks… I even saw a few lilies growing near the entrance. There were some fountains interspersed throughout the garden, and I noted that some of them were done in a neo-Classical style, with figures from Greek mythology.

I stepped out of my car, and thanked the driver. The few guests Adrian and I had invited were all seated in the rows of chairs.

My mom was already waiting for me behind a row of rosebushes. Happiness rose in me when I saw her. I was actually somewhat glad that it was her walking me down the aisle instead of my father.

"Sydney!" she exclaimed when she saw me and hurried over to hug me. I couldn't help the smile that was breaking across my face. "Careful, don't mess up your dress. You look beautiful today."

As I pulled away from the hug, I regarded her for a moment. It was strange, how I bore so much resemblance to my father yet we shared nothing in common. I had inherited my love of cars from my mom, who worked as a mechanic.

Her green eyes sparkled with amusement. "Today's your big day. I had always hoped to see the day that you would fall in love and get married."

Compared to my father, my mom was very easygoing and relaxed. It was a refreshing change to his coldness and criticism. When I'd first told her that I was dating a Moroi royal, she had been considerably shocked, but over time, had come to like Adrian a lot and supported our relationship.

Soon, I could hear the opening notes of a soft song on the piano, and I watched as Eddie, Jill, Trey, and Angeline walked down the aisle in two pairs. I'd chosen Jill and Angeline as my bridesmaids, even though I'd been a bit wary of choosing Angeline. God knew what would happen, but after debriefing her on mainstream America wedding customs, she'd promised that there would be no wrestling or brawls involved. So far, all seemed well, and Adrian had chosen Eddie and Trey as his groomsmen.

As I looked down the aisle, I could see Adrian standing with Marcus, and they were both dressed in tuxes. It was amazing how Adrian and Marcus had gone from punching each other during their first meeting to pretty close friends. I noted that Marcus was holding two boxes in his hands, and my heartbeat went a little faster.

Adrian had insisted that he didn't care if a human or Moroi priest married us, as long as we were together. Rose had suggested that we have Father Andrew, a Moroi priest from St. Vladimir's Academy, marry us, and I'd readily agreed.

The chords of "Here Comes the Bride" soon filled the air, and my mom squeezed my hand, a slight smile on her face. "It's our turn," she murmured.

I held on to her arm and we walked down the aisle slowly, to the beats of the song. I tried to concentrate on just keeping in time with "Here Comes the Bride," but it was hard. I actually wanted to rush to Adrian and be in his arms. Everyone rose as I passed by on my mom's arm, and I caught glimpses of people I knew in my periphery. Ms. Terwilliger, Kristin, Julia, Rose…

Then I was there with Adrian, and my heart beat even faster. He looked amazing in a tuxedo, and his stunning emerald eyes shone with happiness even though he looked like he was trying to keep from smiling widely. I couldn't help but smile at him, feeling like my heart would burst of happiness. Very soon, we would belong to each other and no one else.

My mom took my hand and placed it in Adrian's. When I turned my head to look at her, tears were flowing down her cheeks, but she was smiling through her tears. I smiled at her too, afraid I was going to start crying, and then turned to face the priest with Adrian at my side.

Father Andrew welcomed our wedding guests and offered some advice to us about marriage, but I couldn't really hear it. I was mostly focused on Adrian, and I had to fight hard to keep from peeking at him from under my veil.

Then Father Andrew asked Adrian, "Do you, Adrian Ivashkov, accept Sydney Katherine Sage as your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," Adrian answered, and I just wanted to cry with happiness, even though that was very unlike me.

Father Andrew turned to me, and asked, "Do you, Sydney Katherine Sage, accept Adrian Ivashkov as your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," I said, and I was shocked to realize that tears were slipping down my cheeks. I couldn't hold my emotions of joy and happiness back any longer.

We spoke very simple traditional vows. Adrian vowed, "I, Adrian Ivashkov, take you, Sydney Katherine Sage, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."

"I, Sydney Katherine Sage, take you, Adrian Ivashkov, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part," I said, locking eyes with Adrian. I could almost see the love and affection that had burned between us for so long.

It was now time to exchange rings. Marcus stepped up to us with the boxes and gave the rings to us before backing away. Our rings were both silver with diamonds, and the rest of the band was decorated with tiny little crystals.

"With this ring, I thee wed," Adrian said solemnly, slipping my wedding ring over my finger.

I repeated those same words as I slid the ring onto Adrian's finger.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," Father Andrew stated. "You may now kiss the bride."

Adrian lifted the veil from my face and we just gazed into each other's eyes. I felt like I was falling into those endless emerald pools, and I could see his love for me in them. I closed my eyes as Adrian kissed me, and put my arms around his shoulders. I could hear applause from the audience. Our kiss started out soft and gentle, but gradually turned more passionate and I could feel his tongue slipping in between my lips. My mouth parted, and we just stood there French kissing. It was like the rest of the world didn't exist, because there was no one else but Adrian.

Then I could hear whistles from the audience, and pulled away a little, but Adrian moved with me, keeping his lips on mine for another moment for pulling away.

I wanted to scold him a little for kissing me so long, but there was a very cheeky look in his green eyes as he leaned down to me. "Hello, Mrs. Ivashkov," he murmured in my ear. "Or should I say _Lady_ Ivashkov?"

I smiled widely at him, and slipped my hand in his. _Mrs. Ivashkov_. I liked the sound of that. "Anything is fine, Lord Ivashkov," I teased.

We turned to face our wedding guests, and it really hit me that we were married. We would be together forever, because marriage was a binding promise. It wouldn't be broken. We would be love and cherish each other until death parted us, and we would look out for each other every day. Life wouldn't be easy – it never was, with Adrian around – but as long as we had each other to take strength from, we would make it through. Nothing would tear us apart from each other again.

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**Author's note**: Suggestion by RoNfOrThEwIn! The more reviews/ideas, the more stories that will come out ;D


	3. A Roman Honeymoon

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bloodlines.

**WARNING: M FOR SEXUAL CONTENT**

Sydney's and Adrian's honeymoon...in Rome ;D Kind of like a sequel to _Mrs. Ivashkov_. Enjoy, if you like lemons!

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A Roman Honeymoon

"We're going to _Rome_?" I shrieked after we'd touched down in London and then checked the board for our next flight.

Adrian squeezed my hand, an affectionate smile on his face. "I knew you'd love me forever if we could go to Rome for real. I've taken you there in our dreams, but nothing would compare to the real thing, right?"

I threw my arms around him. I couldn't believe it. I was going to go to one of my dream cities – Rome! Italian food, architecture, statues… I almost wanted to swoon. I'd wanted to go there ever since I was a child, and now I was finally fulfilling my dream.

"You're so happy, Sydney," Adrian murmured into my ear. "I know for sure I made the right choice to choose Rome."

"There's a bunch of places I still want to go, but I don't mind," I told him, and I think my face was glowing with happiness. "Rome is one of my top places to visit!" Then I frowned. "I only know Latin, and maybe some beginner Italian…"

"Don't worry so much," Adrian assured me. "We'll get by since I'm sure plenty of people speak English, and we'll get to cover all of your favorite landmarks. Hell, I'm sure we could visit some other Italian cities."

* * *

It was night when we landed in Rome. After retrieving our luggage, we got onto a tour bus and started off for our hotels.

Rome was magnificent, even at night. I couldn't help but stare out at the lights as we drove past. When I saw the Colosseum, which was lit up from the inside, I stared like the starry-eyed tourist I was.

"The Colosseum is an amazing work of architecture," I murmured, gazing out at it as we stopped at a traffic light. "The Romans pioneered the use of concrete and the rounded arch, which allowed them to build something so big. Keystones on the top of the arch kept the arches from falling and helped bear more weight from above."

Adrian laid his hand over mine, and even in the dark, I could see his smile. "Sydney, you always know lots about Roman architecture and just about Romans and Greeks in general."

I blushed. "Should I have kept quiet? I mean, I just like knowing about this type of stuff, so-"

He kissed my cheek. "Don't keep silent. Just say whatever you want, because I'm eager to learn – especially if it's from you."

We kept driving through Rome, and crossed a few bridges over the Tiber River. Eventually, our bus pulled up in front of the Hotel Villa Spallettti Trivelli. I stared in shock. "Isn't this a five star hotel?"

"Nothing less for you," Adrian murmured as we got off the bus and gathered our luggage. He tipped the driver and we pushed our luggage into the hotel lobby.

I knew that the furnishings were very luxurious and elegant, but I couldn't pay much attention as Adrian checked in at the front desk. I twisted one strand of hair in my hand anxiously. Once we got up into our room…it would be time to consummate our wedding. I was a bit worried because even though we'd done some naughty things in bed before, we'd never actually gone all the way.

I got into the elevator with Adrian, and it was just the two of us. It was hard not to feel the sexual tension in the air. Adrian was whistling cheerful and playing with the room card, but I could tell he was a little nervous as well, which made no sense. After all, he'd been with lots of pretty girls before, and –

_Stop thinking about the past_, I scolded myself. _He loves only me. There's no use dwelling on a past I can't change. Focus on the here and now_.

We stepped out of the elevator, and hurried down the hall to our room. He unlocked the door and pulled the suitcases in with him. I followed and closed the door behind us. I dimly registered that there was a huge double bed in the middle of the room and there were white walls before Adrian turned me to face him.

I swallowed, my breathing growing heavy and my gaze dropped to his mouth for a moment. Our eyes locked, and there was nothing in the room but us. "Kiss me," I breathed.

We both almost lunged at each other, and we were soon kissing almost ferociously near the door. Our kisses were passionate and frantic, and I felt him slide his arms around me. He sucked on my bottom lip, and I shoved my hands through his dark, silky hair.

We were soon pushing each other towards the bed, still kissing frantically. He pulled away from me, and I regretted the loss of his lips. "Come back over here," I pouted.

Adrian shrugged out of his shirt, and he threw it on the floor. I couldn't help but stare at him. I'd seen him shirtless before, but I couldn't help but take in the sight of his well-muscled chest like I'd never seen it before.

Then his lips were on mine again, and I could feel him slip his hands over the front of my button-up blouse. He unbuttoned it effortlessly until he got to the last button, and struggled a little. "Damn buttons," he gasped out.

I stuck my tongue out at him, and undid it for him. He pulled it off my shoulders, and I stood there in just my bra, skirt, and heels.

I blushed as his gaze took in what I was wearing, and a sexy smile crossed his lips. "Why, Sydney, I didn't know you like wearing lingerie," he murmured. "Especially black, see-through lace."

I moved away and pulled off my heels, keeping my eyes on his. "Is it too sexy for you to handle?" I asked, pulling down one strap.

He was instantly by my side, and kissed up and down my neck. "You're too sexy to handle," he growled softly, pulling down my other strap. I was hypersensitive of how close our bodies were, and how little clothing there was between us.

Without any warning, he'd scooped me up in his arms and we were both on the bed. He wriggled out of his jeans and carelessly tossed them somewhere in the room.

"Someone's in a hurry," I teased, pressing my lips to his bare shoulder. He was just in his boxers, and I wished there "What's the rush, Ivashkov?"

In response, he gently pushed me down onto the bed, and slid his hand up my inner thigh, under my skirt while pressing his lips over my heart. I gasped.

"Maybe you're the one in a rush," he murmured, kissing my lips fiercely and sliding his hand up higher. My skin burned wherever he touched me, and I wanted more. Desire flared in me, pooling in a certain area.

I let out a soft moan as his hand went up to my hip, and I just wanted him to touch me somewhere else. Then I heard the sound of a zipper being pulled down and Adrian yanked down my skirt so I was just lying under him in my panties.

I pulled him down so we could kiss, and our kissing quickly grew in intensity. My nails dug into his back a little, and he pulled away a little.

"So eager, Mrs. Ivashkov," he murmured, tracing the top of my underwear. His breathing was ragged, and I could see desire for me in his green eyes. "Maybe I should just tease you a little."

"Don't tease me," I begged. I was hot all over from his touch.

"Why not?" he asked, trailing kisses over my stomach and up to my breasts. I gasped as he sucked hard on one, and I rubbed my chest into him.

"Don't make me tease you," I said, rubbing over the front of his boxers. He let out a soft moan.

"That's just playing dirty, Sydney," he protested.

"Then stop teasing me and touch me," I suggested.

With a groan, he pulled off my underwear and tossed it to the side. I kissed his cheek and pulled off his boxers. We were both naked and just lying against each other. There was a soft look in his eyes and he murmured, "Can I?" as he traced his fingers in between my legs.

I nodded, and then he slipped his finger in. I let out a moan, and he shut me up with a kiss. I squirmed around a little as he moved his finger in me, sliding it in and out. It felt so much better than the few times we'd done it before. His finger brushed over a sensitive area, and I moaned right into his mouth.

"You like that?" he asked, rubbing over that area.

"It feels so good," I groaned. I rocked my hips against him, wanting more. He shivered a little, and pushed a second finger in.

"So tight," he whispered before kissing me fiercely and moving his fingers around. He went deeper into me with his fingers, and I moaned even louder. It felt amazing, but now I wanted something else to be inside of me.

"Stop," I gasped out, and he pulled out his fingers. I could feel something hard pressed in between my legs, and rubbed against it.

"Are you sure?" Adrian asked, looking down into my eyes. He was giving me a chance to back out, but I didn't want to. I wanted Adrian to make love to me more than anything else in the world.

I kissed him and pulled him closer. "Please, Adrian."

With a slight groan, he pushed into me. I gasped at the feeling of him inside me – was it supposed to hurt?

"Did it hurt you?" he asked, and I knew he'd heard my gasp.

I shook my head. It didn't really hurt now, but there was a slight bite of discomfort. "No. Just give me a moment."

He started to move inside me, and I kissed him hard. I moved with him, and dug my nails into his back again. He hit somewhere sensitive – the same spot he'd touched when he'd fingered me – and I moaned even louder than before. He started thrusting into me, against my sensitive area, but kept his movement slow and gentle.

I shoved my hips against him, matching his thrusts. I felt like I was being pushed closer and close to the edge. Our eyes met, and I slid my arms around his shoulders. I picked up the pace as he went even faster and deeper. I felt like I was going to fall apart any second, and kept kissing him hard.

"Let go," Adrian panted.

I climaxed, crying out his name. Adrian thrust one last time inside me, and I could hear him calling out my name as he found release as well.

Our passionate lovemaking and moans softened to just heavy breathing. Adrian rolled off me, but slid his arms around my waist, and kissed the top of my shoulder tenderly. "I love you, Sydney."

"I love you too," I murmured, laying my head on his shoulder and enjoying his closeness and warmth. I stretched a little, and was shocked to feel a little sore in between my legs.

"You'll be fine," he murmured, as though he could read my mind. "Maybe we could rest a little…"

"Why not a second round?" I teased, rolling over so I was slightly on top of him.

"Are you sure you don't want to be able to walk in the morning?" he taunted, kissing my neck and I melted against his mouth. "You asked for it…"


	4. Moonlight Stroll and Constellations

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bloodlines.

Sydney and Adrian decide to go on a date! I actually did some research into lakes near Palm Springs and winter constellations to write this. And of course, the witty banter between Sydney and Adrian (it doesn't come close to Richelle Mead's writing, but I tried). Enjoy ^^

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Moonlight Stroll and Constellations

"Really, Adrian? This isn't that romantic," I grumbled as we pulled up into the parking lot. "We're going to be the only people under the age of sixty here!"

"Hey, I asked you to come to the Getty Villa if you were choosing not to go to Mexico," Adrian reminded me. "So shouldn't I get to choose what we do this time?"

"But _pies_?" I asked in dismay. "And must I remind you we also came in to get pies for Hopper when we were terrified of him? That's not exactly something I want to remember on our first date."

Adrian sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, but he didn't look too mad. "Alright, Sage. Where should we go then?"

I shrugged, and brushed my dark blond hair out of my face. "Well, it's your call, I guess. Just not here."

"Does this mean I can go anywhere?" he asked, with a twinkle in his eyes that I didn't like.

"Anything within reason," I amended, eyeing him warily.

He thought for a moment, and then pulled out his phone. I tried peering over his shoulder as he typed something in, but because he was so tall, I couldn't see what he was looking up. He looked up and asked, "So when's your curfew?"

"Eleven," I said. I winced as I thought about last week. I'd gotten back to my dorm an hour past my curfew, and had earned a detention. Still, at least it wasn't suspension, and I'd been at the Getty Villa with Adrian that day, so that kind of made up for it.

"I'll make sure you're back at Amberwood on time, and away from the eyes of Zoe," Adrian added, kissing the top of my head.

I sighed. My little sister was now a junior Alchemist, which meant I had to be very careful when I was around Adrian. I'd told Zoe this afternoon I'd have to run a few errands till a little before curfew, but in reality, I was sneaking away for my first date with Adrian. Well, maybe it wasn't really our first date, but who cared about technicalities?

"When will I know?" I grumbled as Adrian pulled out of the parking lot and started driving through the desert.

"We're going to take a romantic moonlight stroll," he said. "It's going to take an hour to get there."

I checked my phone. "It's eight ten!"

"Relax," he said. I gazed out the window at the barren wilderness of the desert. Moonlight shone on the sand and straggly plants. "We'll definitely be back on time. Take a nap if you're tired."

I let out a sigh. "It's so stressful nowadays, with Zoe around. Once, I wouldn't have hesitated to confide in her about everything. Now that she's an Alchemist herself, I'm not exactly sure if she would be loyal to me – especially after I took over the assignment to watch over Jill."

"You gotta do what you gotta do," Adrian said, his voice gentle. "And just always be cautious around her, no matter what. It's better to be safe than sorry. And remember to act like you never tampered with your tattoo."

My hand went involuntarily to the golden lily on my left cheek. Supposedly it no longer continued the compulsion that had been injected into it, but I wasn't really sure. I hadn't wanted to seal my tattoo with indigo ink to ensure that I wouldn't be under the influence of Alchemist suggestions. I'd only broken the elements in the lily tattoo by injecting "broken ink" into it.

There was a high-pitched screeching noise from my messenger bag. Startled, I looked down and loosened the flap. A brown crystal-colored dragon with golden eyes peered out at me.

"Hopper! When did you get in?" I scolded, scooping up the little dragon. He wagged his tail.

"I guess Hopper likes…hopping into your bag," Adrian said, looking like he'd just stifled a laugh.

I glared at him before petting Hopper's head. He looked up at me before closing his eyes in contentment. "Great. Our dragon decided to tag along on our date. I think I'll just turn him back into a piece of quartz."

I recited the spell for "banishing" him. Smoke unfurled from his body, and he shimmered for a few moments until I was holding a piece of quartz in my hands.

"Really? You just banished our love child dragon," Adrian said in mock outrage.

"Hey! Do you want people asking us why we have a miniature dragon with us?" I asked, laying my head back against my seat.

He shook his head and we continued driving through the desert.

* * *

"Wow," I breathed as we pulled up into a parking lot that overlooked a lake. The stars were out tonight, and the moon shone down on the lake. The lake was illuminated by the moonlight, and I could see the stars reflected on the water's surface. The sandy beach surrounding the lake was turned white by the moon's glow. As much as I loved architecture, the beauty of the natural world never failed to amaze me. "Where are we?"

"Lake Hemet," Adrian answered, stepping out of the Mustang, and I followed him. "I figured a moonlight stroll would be romantic."

I smiled at him and pointed at the dark shapes in the distance beyond the lake. "Are those mountains?"

"Yep," Adrian said, being able to see better with his Moroi senses. "The San Jacinto Mountains."

I stepped out onto the sandy beach that rimmed the lake. Lake Hemet was very pretty just lit by moonlight. I suspected the view would be better by day, but not as romantic. I didn't know much about Lake Hemet, and not knowing much about anything was highly unusual. I said as much to Adrian.

He laughed. "That's something new. Sage, you're still amazing even if you don't know anything about nature." He gestured all around us, and took my hand. "Since I doubt there are few humans around at night, do you think you want to summon Hopper?"

"There's some people over there," I hissed, pointing off to our right. away I could hear the sounds of laughter and talking a few yards away. No doubt that they were campers or couples taking a romantic walk like us. I wondered if we were even allowed to be here at this hour, but dismissed the thought.

"Aw c'mon, Sage," Adrian begged. "They'll just think Hopper is a harmless lizard that happens to look like a dragon." He gave me a very charming smile that made me feel very warm all over, but I wasn't about to yield.

"No way!" I protested.

"Fine," he grumbled, and pointed to a cluster of rocks by the water's edge. "If we go over there, away from everyone else, then will you summon our little love child dragon? I'm sure he wants to spend time with his parents instead of being a rock all day."

I scowled at him. "Fine! And you said you would handle 'weekend visitations.'"

Adrian laughed as we strolled over to the rocks hand in hand. "Hey, I took care of Hopper while you were in St. Louis and charming information out of Ian."

"I wasn't exactly charming information out of him," I pointed out as we made our way onto the rocks and sat down. "I was hacking into an Alchemist database with the use of magic."

"The dress you wore did wonders," Adrian murmured into my ear. My cheeks flushed red at the memory of the spirit dream where things had gotten…heated. I'd told Adrian, "I'm a quick study."

I cleared my throat and leaned away. I pulled the quartz rock out of my bag and recited the incantation. Sparks flew from the quartz, and within seconds, Hopper had materialized in front of us.

He let out a little croak before seeing the lake. With a slight screech, he rushed down to the water's edge.

"Hopper, no!" I shouted, reaching towards the little dragon. Hopper stopped at the water's edge, and picked up a very small rock in his paws before throwing it into the lake. He seemed fascinated by the ripples the rock created in the water.

"It's not like he rushed into the water," Adrian pointed out, seeming very nonchalant. "I'm sure he can swim, or he'll have the sense to not go into the water if he can't. He's just tossing rocks into the water." Sure enough, Hopper was picking up rocks and just throwing them into the water.

"I didn't even know he was that intelligent," I muttered. At that, Hopper turned around to regard me with his golden eyes. "He didn't seem this smart a week ago! No offense, Hopper."

Adrian shrugged. "Maybe calli – whatevers gain intelligence as time goes on."

"Callistanas," I corrected. "I really wish Ms. Terwilliger told me more about them."

"Stop worrying so much," he gently chided, stroking my arm. "Just sit here and enjoy the view."

I leaned back, snuggling into him, and he wrapped his arm around me. "It's a really nice place," I murmured, gazing out at the lake.

"Nothing but classy romance for you," Adrian whispered.

I turned to look at him, and I saw a very soft look in his green eyes. He leaned down and kissed me on the lips.

It was a very gentle and soft kiss, but it made my entire soul burn. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him back enthusiastically. His lips left mine and trailed down my neck. I shivered when his lips were on my neck before he started kissing my lips again. I sighed with contentment into his mouth and just let myself go in the ecstasy of our kiss.

He pulled away, and I felt a little cold without his touch. I rested my head against his shoulder, and he slid his arms around me again. "So, Sage. Shall we go for a romantic walk like I promised?"

I nodded, and we both stood up. I looked over at Hopper, and whistled. The little dragon immediately stopped tossing rocks and hurried over by my feet. "Should I put him back in my bag?" I asked.

Adrian shook his head. "Nah, let him run free for a little bit."

We started walking down along the beach, and I tipped my head back to stare at the stars. "The stars are so beautiful. The stories behind some of the constellations are fascinating."

"The only constellation I really know is Orion's Belt," Adrian admitted, looking up at the stars as well. "And maybe the Little Dipper."

I hid a smile and pointed in the direction of the northern sky. Hopper started to claw at my leg and I scooped him up while using my free hand to point at the sky again. "That's Ursa Major, which is Latin for 'Larger Bear.' It's also known as the Great Bear, and one of the more famous stories about it is rooted in Greek mythology. The seven brightest stars form the Big Dipper."

I could see Adrian frowning, thanks to the moonlight illuminating everything. "I don't know, Sage. How did the Greeks see a bear in that? It looks like a horse."

It was my turn to frown. "The long end isn't the bear's head. That's the tail, so imagine a bear with a really long tail."

Adrian continued staring at the stars for a few more minutes before sighing. "I give up. The Greeks must've had really good imaginations, or they'd been drinking too much when they started naming constellations. The last time I checked, bears don't have long tails."

I smacked Adrian's hand playfully as we continued walking down the beach, with Hopper having climbed up to perch on my shoulder. "Since you're the artistic one, I thought you'd have no trouble identifying the shapes," I teased.

Adrian shook his head and kissed the top of my head. "Not when it comes to the constellations."

I looked up again, and pointed. "See the constellation that kind of looks like a box with 4 lines?"

"Somewhat," Adrian replied, still looking up. It seemed like he could see the stars much better than me, even though I had knowledge of the constellations.

"That's Pegasus, the flying horse."

"Even I've heard of that myth, but that bear looked more like a horse than this," Adrian said deadpan.

I shook my head but I was unable to contain my laughter. "Let's just keep walking."

"As you wish, lily girl," Adrian said, playing with a strand of my hair. "Should I look for flowers to present to you? I think on most first dates, guys get their girlfriends flowers, but -"

I put my hand over his lips, touched by how he'd wanted to be romantic for me. "It's fine. Just being with you is good enough for me."

I saw Adrian's smile before he leaned down to kiss me.


	5. A Fiery Goddess

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bloodlines.

Adrian has to paint something meaningful for his art class. Mix Sydney, her red Greek dress, Adrian, and art, and the result is interesting...

* * *

A Fiery Goddess

I knocked on Adrian's door, and he opened the door wearing his jeans and an undershirt. I tried to keep from staring at him, because the undershirt clung to his leanly muscled frame and stepped into his apartment. "Why did you ask me to come here?" I grumbled.

"You'll see," Adrian said mysteriously, walking into the living room. I followed him and as usual, was awed by the display of his artwork. "Did you bring what I asked?"

I sighed and held up the garment bag for him to see. "Accessories and all."

"Good," he said with a grin. "I don't know if I'll be able to finish all in a day, but you'll just spend a few hours today. Unless a miracle happens."

"But seriously, why am I here, and why did I have to bring this?" I asked.

"Just put on your dress, and you'll see," Adrian repeated. "You could always change here." He gave me the puppy eyes, but I refused to give in.

"Tough luck, Adrian. I'm changing in the bathroom," I said to him and carried the garment bag into the bathroom with me.

I shut the door behind me and removed my blouse and khakis. I unzipped the garment bag to reveal a stunning, Greek-style dress.

It was the red dress that Lia DiStefano had custom made just for me as a Halloween costume. It had been based off of the chitons worn in ancient Greece. The material was silky and flowing that showed off my figure pretty well, and gold thread had been worked into the dress. Red wasn't really a color I liked to wear – especially this flaming scarlet – but many people had been awestruck when I'd worn it and Adrian had insisted that I bring it with me today. Jill had kept the Halloween costumes even though there'd be no future use for them – at least until today for me.

Looking at the dress brought back memories of Halloween night. It wasn't memories of attending the dance with Brayden – it was memories of after I'd left the dance with Adrian. That night, he'd looked at me and told me, "You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen walking this earth."

I slid the dress on, and the feel of the dress was as silky and comfortable as the first time I'd slid it on. I put on the "gold" jewelry she'd provided me and pinned up my hair with the little gold comb.

I stepped out of the bathroom, clicking down the hallway in my heels. Adrian's back was turned to me as he was setting up his easel, but he turned at my approach.

"Wow," he said, his green eyes wide. "You're so beautiful."

My cheeks grew warm at his words, and I pivoted so he could get a good view of my dress. "Am I really that stunning?"

"You are," Adrian murmured, crossing the room so he could stand by my side. He cupped my face and tilted it up so our eyes could meet. My heart raced as he softly brushed his lips over mine, barely kissing me. "Like my own personal fiery goddess."

I couldn't think for a moment because he was standing so close to me. My head spun a little, and when he stepped away, I wished he was still beside me. "What are we doing?"

"For my art class, we have to paint something that's meaningful to us," Adrian said, gesturing me over to the middle of the living room where there was a green cloth. I was flattered that he was painting me – something that was meaningful to him.

I stood on top of the cloth and scooping up my skirt so that it was more visible against the cloth at my feet. Adrian was suddenly by my side, and I looked up at him in surprise.

"What are you doing?" I asked as he reached down and touched my arm.

He gave me an amused look, but I could see that enchanted look in his eyes from when I'd first stepped out in my red dress. "Arranging you so I can paint. Did you think I was going to remove your dress or something? I'm not exactly Jack from _Titanic_."

"Of course not!" I said indignantly, but I wondered how fun that would be. "And what's _Titanic_?"

"Arms slightly behind you," he said, and I obeyed his order. He then arranged me so that I was facing the easel before he continued, "How could you not have seen it? It's a classic romance slash tragedy."

"Sorry," I said with a shrug.

"Well, anyway. The main characters are Rose and Jack. Rose asked Jack to paint her naked only wearing the Heart of the Ocean, which is a blue diamond necklace."

"Chemically pure and structurally perfect diamonds have no colors. But the color of a diamond may be affected by chemical impurities or structural defects in the crystal lattice," I said immediately, then shook my head and gave Adrian a rueful smile. "Me and my love of knowledge."

"Keep smiling like that. I never knew 'perfect' diamonds were supposed to have no color," Adrian mused as he went back to his easel and sat down on the stool. "Personally I think diamonds with color are prettier."

"Diamonds can come in a variety of colors," I continued as he picked up a paintbrush, dabbed it onto a palette, and then started painting on the easel. "Colored diamonds come in every color of the rainbow. Pure diamonds are perfectly transparent and colorless."

A smile crossed Adrian's face, and then he looked up at me, a tender look in his green eyes. "I really wish I could listen to you talk more, but it kind of makes it hard for me to paint if you talk…"

"Oh," I murmured, and looked down. "Okay, I'll be quiet now."

He laughed and continued painting. "Smile, Sydney." There was a slight pause before he said, "It's a good thing Zoe doesn't seem too curious about what you've been up to lately. Especially with that moonlight stroll by the lake, and other 'errands.' Maybe there's hope that she won't completely subscribe to the Alchemists' way of thinking."

_Oh, how I wish that was true_, I thought wistfully.

This morning, Zoe had practically been preaching about the good doings of the Alchemists to me. She seemed so happy that she was part of a noble cause bigger than her and that she herself was an Alchemist. Just like our father.

I wanted to scream just listening to her talk on and on about how as Alchemists, we had to save the rest of our fellow humans from evil. How could she be so happy to be part of the Alchemists? As I'd learned, once you were part of the Alchemists, you belonged to them forever. You would never be able to fully turn your back on them. It wasn't just a way of thinking – it was a lifestyle. A lifestyle we would never be able to truly leave.

"Don't frown so much, Sydney," Adrian said gently, breaking into my dark thoughts. "You're thinking about Zoe, aren't you?"

I looked at him without moving my head, and he seemed to be able to read my thoughts in my eyes because he let out a sigh.

"Do you think things would be a lot different between us if I was just a Moroi living with the Keepers and you were just a beautiful, smart human girl I'd met somehow?" he asked.

I almost wanted to laugh. I couldn't imagine him living with the Keepers at all. He was pretty well-off, being a royal Moroi, and I was sure he wouldn't be able to last two days out there without his hair gel. And the alcohol the Keepers drank tasted so toxic I doubted he would handle it.

"You wouldn't be able to last out there," I whispered out of the corner of my mouth while working to smile at him.

"I'm sure I would," Adrian said cheerily. "That made you laugh. At least I'm good for something besides my witty humor and sometimes dubious art."

_But your art is beautiful_, I thought but didn't say. _Even if I don't always understand it, it's a positive way of releasing spirit's darkness without turning to your vices_.

"This is going to take a few hours to just get the basics," he said, "so just stand there. I'll let you sit for breaks."

* * *

"Okay, we're done for the day," Adrian said three hours later, putting down his brush.

I stretched as I bent down to massage my leg. My limbs were really stiff from just standing there as Adrian painted me. "Do I get to see your amazing portrait?" I asked, wondering how I would be portrayed.

"Nope. You'll get to see it when I finish," he said with a grin, pulling a huge piece of cloth down over the easel.

I clicked over to him in my heels, but the painting was already covered. "I wanted to see!" I protested.

"You'll see someday," he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes, kissing the top of my head. "Are you hungry? We could go out for lunch after you change."

I opened my mouth to respond, but was cut off by the sound of my phone ringing. I picked it up off Adrian's couch and pressed it to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Sydney! Where are you? It's almost time for Jill's feeding," Zoe said on the other side. She sounded uneasy and scared, and I suspected that the thought of vampires and blood was appalling to her. It was so strange to see how far I'd come in overcoming my fear of vampires and blood from when I had first arrived in Palm Springs with the gang.

"I'm coming back in fifteen minutes, so just wait for me," I instructed. "See you soon."

I hung up and looked at Adrian, who was already pouting. "Alchemist business, huh?" he asked, but he was saying it more as a depressing fact.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and planted a quick kiss on his lips before pulling away. "Hey, you're supposed to come along. Get decent, and I'll take you in my new car."

I mentally sighed at "new car." My poor Latte had been declared out of commission after an explosion had blown the doors off and broken the windows. I missed Latte.

"You could always drive the Ivashkinator," Adrian offered.

I shook my head and sighed. "It would look suspicious, even though Zoe knows how much I love classic cars. I'll get changed, and meet you out front."

* * *

I kept going to Adrian's whenever I had a chance so he could finish the painting. Unfortunately, my visits were spaced over two weeks, even though it was winter break, so I wouldn't draw attention to myself. I grew a bit suspicious in thinking that Zoe suspected something was up, and feared she would discover me and report me to high-ranking Alchemists.

"This is the last time you have to come," Adrian told me as he shut the door behind me and locked it. "After that, my painting will be done."

"Will your painting get an A?" I joked, heading down the hall to the bathroom.

I could barely hear his words after I shut the door to change. "If my professor doesn't give me an A, he clearly can't see the stunning beauty of my subject."

I walked back out to the living room in my red dress. Adrian was awestruck every time he saw me, even though I'd worn it every time I came to sit for him. "If only you could wear that every day," he murmured before averting his eyes.

"The thrill and beauty of it would wear off," I gently teased as I sat down on the chaise lounge sofa.

"Nah, the thrill would never go away," Adrian said as he came over to arrange me the way he'd painted me. Our eyes locked, and I could feel electricity in the air. It lingered a little even after he moved back to his easel.

"Prepare to be blown away when I'm done," he said as he leaned closer to the easel to add some tiny detail. "Just forty minutes this time, and I'll be finished. If you're tired, just close your eyes and sleep."

I was a bit tired, but I couldn't bring myself to close my eyes. I instead focused on Adrian as he painted. I loved how concentrated he was as he dabbed some paint onto his easel, and the joy in his emerald eyes as he painted. His art clearly made him happy and less vulnerable to spirit's negative effects. For him, art was a way of releasing his pent-up emotions instead of keeping them locked up within himself.

I noticed that he had some streaks of red and yellow paint on his hands, and smiled. I honestly couldn't wait to see how he would portray me in his painting.

I kept gazing at him as he kept painting. Finally he stepped back from the painting and bowed. "I have finally finished my amazing work of art," he said, sounding very smug. "Would you like to take a look?"

I eagerly stood up and ran over to his easel. My breath caught at the sight of the painting.

In the painting, I was standing in a grassy meadow with part of my long skirt billowing out behind me. My right arm was slightly behind me, and my blond hair was blowing loose over my shoulders. There was a smile on my face, and my lips were slightly parted. My brown eyes looked almost golden, and there was a fierce yet passionate look in them. There were yellow swirls around me, with occasional hints of purple throughout the yellow, with some more "fiery" colors in the background – orange, red, scarlet, pale yellow.

"What…what is this?" I finally managed to ask. I was vaguely reminded of beautiful ancient goddesses by his painting, but this was more intense.

"It's you," Adrian said, wonder in his green eyes despite the fact he'd created the painting. "You're my fierce, beautiful goddess. Like some type of gift from above, to spread wisdom and goodness to everyone. Your goodness and passion that drive you to protect those you love… it's part of what makes you so beautiful. You shine so brightly in my eyes."

I recognized the rambling nature of spirit that had come over him now. He was a little scattered and distant, and yet…he believed that in a way, I was like a goddess. It made my heart flutter a little.

I slid my hand in his, and gently squeezed. I was still awestruck by the painting and his portrayal of me. "It's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you are," he murmured, turning to look at me with that enraptured gaze. "Nothing is as beautiful as you are, Sydney Sage."

I shivered a little, and raised my hand to touch his cheek. He slid his arm around my shoulders and we just stood close to each other.

I finally broke the quiet. "So… maybe you should explain your artistic styles in your other works of art," I said, gesturing to his other canvases.

He smiled and led me over to a painting of several red lilies with golden slashes through them. "You're never going to guess the meaning behind this one, Sage."


	6. An Eye for Revenge

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bloodlines.

Sydney finally reveals to Adrian what made her make a "devil's deal" with Abe Mazur to cut out Keith's eye.

* * *

An Eye for Revenge

I had just finished licking vanilla ice cream off my spoon when Adrian cleared his throat, and I looked up at him. "You promised to tell me something a while ago," he said unexpectedly.

This was a very weird change in subject compared to talking about his art just a few minutes ago, but this was just part of Adrian Ivashkov. At times, he could change conversation topics as effortlessly as changing a car's engine oil or flipping a light switch. It was somewhat strange yet charming. "What?" I asked, snuggling into him. We were both seated on the ugly afghan couch in his apartment, and spending some time together after a long week apart.

"When Abe showed up with Sonya, Belikov, and Angeline…he mentioned something about that bastard Keith having his eye cut out, and how you had something to do with it."

I cringed. I had forgotten about my promise to tell him until now. I was scared how he would see me after I told him. But I had promised him that, and a promise was a promise.

I swallowed and began, "Several years ago, Keith was living with us because my dad had sort of taken him in because sometimes younger Alchemists lived with more senior Alchemists to gain some experience. I guess he saw Keith as the son he'd never had." I didn't realize how angry I sounded until Adrian put a hand on my arm.

"Relax," he said, and I took a deep breath. Then he asked, "Your father saw that asshole as some time of surrogate son? Why couldn't he just be satisfied with his daughters? I'm sure you were the best, since you're smart and know everything there is to know about almost anything."

"I suppose Keith was his 'surrogate son,'" I said bitterly. "I think he's always regretted having daughters, even though I don't know why. My mom loves us all, which somewhat made up for it, but it wasn't enough. No matter what I did when I was an Alchemist-in-training, it was never enough for my father."

"Continue," Adrian said, and there was a sympathetic note in his voice that made me feel better.

"My father took Keith on trips and lessons I had never been a part of, even though he had been strict with my teaching. And when Keith was a field Alchemist, my father saw that he was assigned to an easy post with not much vampire activity, but he never made the same effort for me. Anyway…several years ago, Keith insisted on going out on a date with Carly, my older sister. Carly disliked Keith as much as I did, and didn't want to go on a date with him, but my father insisted that she go. In his eyes, Keith was the perfect guy. When they were alone…"

Disgust and anger boiled through my entire body, even though years had passed since then. It still made me sick to think about what Keith had done to my sweet, innocent sister. "He wasn't able to take no for an answer and raped her."

Revulsion shone in Adrian's green eyes. "That asshole! He was fucking insane. If she already said no… What part of 'no' doesn't he get?"

"I asked myself that same thing," I said, shaking my head. "Carly told me that night when she returned home. He'd intimidated her into keeping silent about him raping her, and besides, he knew that our father would never believe her. That's how much my father adored Keith. Carly made me promise to never tell anyone, especially not our parents."

I paused to take a breath. It just made me so angry to think how an asshole could just keep pushing and pushing a girl into having sex with him, and then if she wouldn't say yes… I continued, "I never forgot what Keith did to Carly. It wasn't until several years later, when I became a field Alchemist and was assigned to Russia that I met Abe Mazur. I thought of how I could keep my promise to Carly of keeping silent while taking revenge on Keith. It was like making a deal with the devil. If Abe could arrange for Keith to have one of his eyes cut out, I would do any favor he wanted. I did so without thinking how barbaric it was or how it would bind me to do anything he asked of me."

Adrian had become very still and I didn't know how to read the expression in his eyes. I gently eased myself away from him to give him a little space.

"Last year, Abe staged a fake Strigoi attack and cut out one of Keith's eyes. I became Abe's 'retainer Alchemist,' which probably wouldn't sit well with my superiors. That was part of the reason that led me to help Rose break out of jail last summer to clear her name," I finished.

I couldn't bear to look at Adrian now. He was probably repulsed and appalled at how low I'd stooped to get revenge on Keith, no matter how cold and uncaring his attitude was towards his Moroi and dhampir charges. I stared at the floor, trying to conceal my emotions as best as I could. What did Adrian think of me now?

Finally, after an immeasurably long silence, Adrian said, "Come here."

There was no anger in his voice, but I warily walked to him. He wrapped his arms around me and I hid my face in his shoulder.

"That's incredibly badass," Adrian said softly. "Asking Abe Mazur to do you a favor – and that asshole Keith is better off without an eye. He can keep his eyes off young girls who don't want to say yes to him."

"That's kind of my thinking in the beginning," I said wryly, but a little amused by how our thinking was along the same lines.

"And you know, Abe doesn't do favors for just anyone," Adrian continued. "Even if you did have to work Alchemist favors for him in return. I don't judge you for that, Sydney. Since you say that your father would never have believed you or Carly, you took revenge in your own way. You're willing to stand up and do anything for people you love and care about."

I smiled down at the ground. I couldn't help but feel happy that Adrian wasn't disgusted or appalled by my act of revenge. Relief filled my entire body. "You're just glorifying what I did."

"No, not at all," Adrian said, shaking his head. "If anyone did something like that to someone I loved…well. They'd better look out, because I wouldn't let them get off easy."

A shiver ran through me at his words. I believed that if someone hurt anyone he cared about, his revenge would be great. He wouldn't let them get away with it easily, if at all.

I lay my head on his shoulder and sighed. "I completely forgot about my devil's deal until you brought it up."

"It's in the past anyway, and the asshole's in Re-education. Alchemist prison for bad, screwed-up Alchemists," Adrian said loftily, and I laughed.


	7. Miss I'm a Quick Study

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bloodlines.

A certain steamy scene from _The Indigo Spell_, told from Adrian's POV. I loved sksai's one-shot _Quick Study_, and that's where the idea came from!

* * *

Miss I'm a Quick Study

"What in the world's happened to me?" Sydney asked, letting out a hysterical laugh. "I was doing crazy stuff way before Marcus broke the tattoo tonight. Meeting with rebels, chasing evil sorceresses, even buying that dress! Yelling at Stanton is just one more thing on a long list of insanity. It's just like I said at Pies and Stuff: I don't know who I am anymore."

It hurt me to see how distressed she was that she felt she had lost who she was. I smiled down at her and took her hands, stepping closer. She didn't back away. "Well, first off, I'm in the expert in insanity, and this is nothing." It really was nothing, compared to when I started rambling because of spirit. I continued, "And as for who you are, you're the same beautiful, brave, and ridiculously smart caffeinated fighter you've been since the day I met you."

Sydney blushed a little, her cheeks going pink. God, that made her look even cuter. "Sweet talker," she murmured. "You didn't know anything about me the first day we met."

"I knew you were beautiful," I argued. "I just hoped for the rest."

It wasn't just her physical appearance that made her the most beautiful person in the world, even though that was part of it. There was a courage and passion in her that made her shine. She was willing to stand up for what she believed in and those she loved, and that made her beautiful. Her physical appearance and brilliant mind were just a bonus to the beautiful personality she had.

There was a slightly distant look in her brown eyes, and I said, "Speaking of that dress, I still haven't seen it." I was referring to the dress she'd worn to distract that Alchemist boy…whatever his name was.

She laughed. "You couldn't handle it."

I raised my eyebrow at her, but I was hoping she would show me. I wouldn't push her into showing me if she didn't want to. "Is that a challenge, Sage? I can handle a lot."

"Not if our history is any indication," she said, her eyes filled with amusement. "Each time I wear some moderately attractive dress, you lose it."

"That's not exactly true," I protested. "I lose it no matter what you're wearing. And that red dress was not 'moderately attractive.' It was like a piece of heaven here on earth. A red, silky piece of heaven." That night when she'd worn the beautiful red dress for Halloween…she really had been the most beautiful creature walking the earth. She'd looked like my own personal goddess. A memory of her in the red dress flashed in my mind.

I expected Sydney to protest or tell me off. Instead, she closed her eyes as though she was concentrating. _Is she going to show me?_ I wondered breathlessly.

Her jeans and blouse shimmered and she stood before me in a form-fitting minidress. It went to her mid-thigh, with an open back and a low V-neck that revealed a lot of her soft skin. The dress was made up of a beige underdress in black and maroon lace, and the fabric made it appear like Sydney was wearing only lace with absolutely nothing underneath. She was even wearing four-inch black heels, which closed some of the distance in our heights.

I couldn't help but stare at the dress – or more accurately, at Sydney – in awe. I had never seen her in anything this beautiful or sexy except for maybe the red dress, but this was in a whole different category. I stepped back to take in the look, still holding her hands. God, this lacy minidress made her look so sexy. How could anyone be immune to her beauty while she was in this dress? I was aware of how heavy her breathing had gotten as our eyes met again.

"A piece of heaven?" she asked, her voice soft. A small smile crossed her lips. She had to be realizing the effect she was having on me.

I shook my head. "No. The other place. The one I'm going to burn in for what I'm thinking."

I wanted to touch her more than just holding her hands. I let go of her hands to put my arms around her waist. I pulled her closer to me, and I could feel the heat and tension in the air between us.

To my surprise, Sydney wrapped her arms around my neck and brought me closer. It was hard for me to think straight, and I struggled to not act on my own desires. "Damn."

"What?" she asked almost innocently as her golden eyes met mine.

I smoothed my hands over her hips. "I'm not supposed to kiss you." But oh God, I wanted to kiss her so much. If I did, that would increase the distance between us. I'd have to take what I could get right now.

"It's okay."

"What is?" I asked, confused.

"It's okay if I kiss you."

I barely understood her words before she pulled me closer and kissed me, her tongue slipping into my mouth. For a moment, I stopped thinking. I was too stunned to respond. Then I pushed her backward and lifted her onto the table, kissing her the whole time. I dimly registered the sound of glasses falling and a china plate crashing on the floor.

Her lips were so soft and sweet on my own. I almost pulled away, sure that she was going to start scolding me soon, but instead, she arched her back against my chest, suggestively rubbing her breasts against me. All type of coherent thought left me, and I laid her back against the table, pushing my body against her. I moved my mouth down from her lips, causing her to let out a soft whimper in protest, and down to her neck. I pushed down the edge of her dress and the bra strap, exposing her shoulder and kissed gently up and down. Several more glasses smashed, and I stopped kissing her.

"A table," I muttered, shaking my head. "A goddamn table." What was I thinking? A table would be alright if I was banging a random girl, but this was no random girl. Sydney, my flame in the dark, deserved better than a table.

I closed my eyes and soon we were on my bed. I kissed her again. This was much better and more comfortable. As I kept kissing, Sydney's nails dug into my back and I kissed down to her chin and to her neck. I kept going until I reached the bottom of the dress's V-neck. She gasped and I kissed around the neckline, enjoying the taste of her skin.

"Don't worry," I murmured, pulling away. "The dress stays on."

"Oh?" she asked, sounding petulant. "Is that your decision to make?"

"Yes," I said. "You're not losing your virginity in a dream. If that's even possible. I don't want to deal with the philosophical side of it. And besides, there's no need to rush anyway. Sometimes it's worth lingering on the journey for a while before getting to the destination." It felt too rushed for Sydney to lose her virginity to me now. Besides, we didn't need to rush – there would be time someday for that.

She looked like she was about to argue, but I slipped my hand up her bare leg and she let out a soft sigh. Just because I didn't plan on removing her dress didn't mean I could touch and tease her _under_ the dress. I slid my hand up to the side of her leg and up to her hip, gently stroking her hip. Her skin felt flushed to the touch, and she was breathing even more heavily than before. She grabbed my hand, pulling it towards an area in between her legs. I wanted to touch her there too and make her feel good, but I knew that tonight wasn't the right time. Maybe soon, but not tonight.

I took hold of her wrist and pinned it down against the covers. I couldn't believe that I, the ultimate playboy, was stopping a girl from going even further while we were in bed. I didn't want to stop, but I had a feeling Sydney might not be so pleased in the morning. "Never thought I'd be the one slowing you down," I gently teased. I'd always thought that if we were ever to make love to each other, _she_ would be the one slowing me down. Now _I_ had to be the responsible one.

Sydney opened her eyes and our gaze met. "I'm a quick study," she breathed sultrily.

I almost lost myself in her beautiful eyes. I could see her love, passion, and desire for me burning in her eyes and in her aura. God, she truly was a beautiful, passionate goddess. I let go of her wrist and cupped her face in my hands, bringing my face closer to hers. "Good God, Sydney. You are -" Suddenly everything – our surroundings and Sydney – turned blurry and out of focus. _Oh no_.

"What's wrong?" she asked, anxiety in her eyes.

I grimaced as she began to fade. "You're being woken up."


	8. The Velvet Suite

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bloodlines.

The scene in the velvet suite in _The Indigo Spell_, told from Adrian's POV.

* * *

The Velvet Suite

"Adrian," Sydney sighed, sounding exasperated. "Why do you keep doing this? The touching…the kissing…you know I don't want it."

"You don't act that way," I pointed out. She said she didn't want me, yet went around and kissed me, and her aura... I half wished she would make up her mind once and for all, but at the same time, I enjoyed kissing her. I knew she enjoyed it too, despite her denial. _When will you admit what you really feel and want? _

"Stop saying that. It's obnoxious. Next you'll be saying I'm 'asking for it.' I just pulled away. How much more direct do I have to be?" she asked, her eyes flashing.

"It's not your actions, exactly," I said. But her actions were definitely playing a big part of it. "It's your aura."

She groaned. "No, no, not that. I don't want to hear about auras."

"But I'm serious," I said. Well, as serious as I ever was. Her actions aren't the only thing contradicting her words. I stretched out on the bed on my side, patting the spot beside me. "Lie down."

"Adrian –" she began.

"I won't kiss you," I whispered. "I promise."

"How stupid do you think I am?" Sydney demanded. "I'm not falling for this."

I stared at her, feeling offended. Did she really think I had some grand plan to seduce her and get her into bed with me? "Do you really think I'd assault you or something?"

"No," she said quickly, appearing to have realized she must've offended me. "Of course not."

"Then humor me."

There was wariness in her eyes, but she lay down on her side and faced me. Her aura glowed yellow, with a few hints of purple in it. "Do you see what I see in you now? The usual aura. A steady golden yellow, healthy and strong, with spikes of purple here and there. But when I do this…"

I tentatively reached out to touch her hip. Her aura…it had instantly turned brighter, the purple becoming more intense. She tensed at my touch, but when she didn't push me away, I slipped my hand under her shirt to rest on her lower back. Her skin was warm to the touch, and soft as silk.

"See?" I asked, but then reconsidered my words. "Well, I guess you can't. But when I touch you, your aura…it smolders. The colors deepen, it burns more intensely, the purple increases. Why? Why, Sydney?" I didn't understand why her aura would change colors like that at my touch if she truly didn't care. I pulled her closer, her aura flaring brighter with my touch. "Why do you react that way if I don't mean anything to you?" I asked, hearing the desperation in my own voice.

A moment passed before Sydney was able to respond, and her voice sounded thick. "It's instinct. Or something. You're a Moroi. I'm an Alchemist. Of course I'd have a response. You think I'd be indifferent?"

"Most Alchemist responses would involve disgust, revulsion, and holy water," I pointed out wryly. I could only imagine what her response would've been to my being so close when she'd still seen all vampires as "evil creatures of the night."

From the look in Sydney's eyes, she agreed, but kept on protesting. "Well…I'm a little more relaxed around Moroi than most Alchemists. Probably this is just some purely physical response driven by hormones and years of evolution. My body doesn't know any better. I'm as susceptible to lust as anyone else," she stated.

I almost wanted to laugh. She was still the studious, smart girl as ever, even in highly emotional moments like this. Even in moments where I just wanted to kiss her senseless and make her realize that she did have feelings for me. "No, you aren't. I mean, you are, but not without reason. I know you well enough to realize that now. You're not the kind of person who's 'susceptible to lust' without some emotion to back it." She would never give in to lust unless she truly had feelings for the person. And I knew she had feelings for me, but my stubborn Sydney wouldn't admit it to me.

I put my hand back on her hip, sliding it down her leg. Her breath caught, and I could hear how fast her heart was beating. What I wouldn't give to know what she was thinking… I moved my face closer to hers, and I could see how brightly her aura shone. It was even brighter than before, if that was even possible. "See? There it is again. My flame in the dark."

"Don't kiss me," she whispered, even though her aura was telling a different story from what she was saying. "You said you wouldn't."

"I won't," I agreed, leaning in even closer. "Unless you want me to."

She opened her mouth to say something, but didn't say anything. I wondered if she was trying to convince herself that she was only having a physical reaction to me and maybe trying to remember some old Alchemist lesson.

I took her arm and rolled her over. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around my neck. I cautiously brushed my lips against hers in a soft, barely there kiss, and she didn't ask me to stop or pull away. Her lips tasted so soft and sweet that I wanted more than just that brief brushing of lips.

I was about to kiss her more deeply but then the door behind us opened. _Damn it_.

* * *

**Author's note**: This is a bit on the short side, but yeah ^^ Hopefully since I'm on break, I can upload stories a little more frequently. Happy reading! And reviews/ideas will forever be appreciated!


	9. Kahlua

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bloodlines.

This is how I originally imagined how certain quotes from _The Indigo Spell_ would be used – the quotes with kahlua and the word bedroom involved. This is somewhat (kind of, not really) of a re-write of the scene in my Sydrian story _A Golden Love, _but I hope you'll enjoy anyway ^^

* * *

Kahlua

"The family law should be overturned soon," Queen Vasilisa said to Adrian. "I just don't know how soon. But hopefully everyone will be able to come back."

My heart went into overdrive at that. Come back? How soon was soon? _Did this mean I would soon no longer see Adrian?_ I scolded myself for caring, but I now paid more attention to the conversation.

"How soon will it be?" Adrian asked, taking a sip from his champagne glass.

Vasilisa shrugged. "Probably within the next five months."

At that, my heart completely dropped. I needed to get out of here. "Excuse me, I think I'll grab some refreshments," I said with a polite smile.

Vasilisa nodded, and I quickly excused myself to the refreshment table. _You _don't_ love Adrian_, I reminded myself. _Never have, never will. You shouldn't care so much about him and whether or not you'll be able to see him. He's a Moroi royal, and you're an Alchemist. Those lines must never be crossed._

As I looked over the refreshment table, I saw a drink that looked like coffee in paper cups. I wondered why they would put coffee in a paper cup instead of a mug but dismissed the thought.

I picked up a cup and inhaled the fragrance. It smelled amazing, better than any coffee I'd ever tasted before. I could smell a hint of vanilla in it. I then took a sip.

My already awake senses were waking up after that one sip. It tasted amazing – way better than any coffee served at Spencer's. What was in this coffee? I took another sip, and before I knew it, I'd downed the entire cup.

I blinked. Everything around me seemed clear and yet unfocused_. What are you doing?_ part of me was demanding. _Picking up a strange coffee-like drink in a place full of Moroi and dhampirs!_

I shushed that voice and reached for a second cup. I didn't think it was possible for it to taste better, but it did. This time, I could taste something that was pretty strong, and wondered what it was but dismissed it.

I was going to walk back to where everyone – the Queen, Adrian, some others I somewhat knew – was standing, but then I wobbled on my heels as soon as I'd taken one step. The world suddenly began to spin, and I grabbed the back of my chair.

_What happened?_ I wondered dimly, putting a hand to my head. _I feel a bit woozy right now_.

I saw Adrian headed for the refreshments table, and delight filled my entire body. How could I not have noticed how good-looking he was before? Well, I'd noticed but hadn't really taken the chance to appreciate every part of him – his dark, stylishly mussed hair, his emerald green eyes, his tall stature…

I threw my arms in the air. "Adriannn!"

Some partygoers looked over at me with disapproving expressions. _Why are they looking at me like that?_ I thought defiantly. _I just want him to come over._

Adrian's green eyes widened when I called his name and he looked over at me. He looked shocked and hurried over immediately. "What did you do, Sage?"

"What do you mean what did I do? I just wanted to see you and talk to you," I slurred. "I'm soo happy right now! Nothing could go wrong!"

Adrian looked at me intently, and then he groaned. "You're drunk."

"I'm not drunk!" I protested indignantly, pointing a finger at him. I nearly fell over and he caught hold of my arm. I continued, "And you're one to talk, Mr. Partyboy."

"I've sobered up lately," he said dryly, "and yes, you are drunk. What did you drink before calling me?"

"I just drank coffee!" I complained, pointing in the general direction of the amazing coffee. I really needed to find the ingredient for that, once my head stopped spinning.

Adrian led me over to the table and studied the coffee I'd had before turning to me. "It's an alcoholic beverage."

"So?"

He stared at me in shock before composing himself. "It's Kahlua, Sage. Packed with sugar and coffee flavor."

I was about to reach for a third cup before he took my hand. "I'm taking you to your room."

"But I want more!" I protested as he led me through the crowd of partygoers, all of whom were staring openly at me.

"I don't think you want to be any more drunk than you are already. I didn't even know it was possible for you to get drunk."

He led me outside and we started walking across a courtyard. It was completely dark out, except for the stars, the moon, and some lights along the paths. I tilted my head to look up at the stars, but they seemed to be moving and taking shape.

"Don't stop until we get to your room," he advised as we walked past a Moroi couple. "I'm sure people are already shocked that I'm walking around with a human girl, let alone an Alchemist girl."

"Like they care," I grumbled, trying to wrap my arms tight around Adrian but he gently shook me off.

"We're still in public, and everyone has good hearing and eyes," he reminded me. We made a few turns, and I vaguely recognized the housing for guests to the Court.

I was on the second floor, but my head ached, and I wasn't sure if I could make it up the flight of stairs. Without a word, Adrian scooped me up so he was carrying me princess-style, and carried me up the stairs easily before gently setting me on the floor.

"Where's your room?" he asked.

I pointed down the hall as I struggled to fish out my keycard out of my clutch. "Somewhere there."

Adrian retrieved the keycard out of my clutch and looked down at the room number. "Yes, it's that way. Come on."

I followed him slowly. My headache had gotten a little better, but I really did want more coffee – or Kahlua, as Adrian had called it. How could it have been alcoholic?

We finally arrived at my room and Adrian opened the door. Suddenly, I had an _excellent_ idea. "Maybe you should come in and stay with me," I breathed softly into his ear as I stepped in.

He froze, his eyes wide. "Under normal circumstances, you inviting me to the bedroom would be the highlight of my day."

"Just come in with me," I pleaded, tugging on his arm. I wanted him in my room, where I could have him to myself and kiss him…

"I'll make sure you won't throw up and then I'm going," he warned, letting himself in behind me and closing the door.

I moved closer to him, trying to kiss him, but he abruptly stepped back. "No, Sage. Make yourself comfortable and I'll bring you something to drink."

I pouted at him as he moved into the sitting area, but I removed my dress and heels before going through my suitcase and pulling out my pajamas. I'd just gotten into my huge bed when Adrian returned with a glass of water.

"Here, it should make you feel better." I took it and gulped down the whole glass.

He smiled ruefully at me as I made myself comfortable in bed. "I'm guessing you're not going to let me heal away that hangover."

I recoiled. Even in my so-called drunken state, I was still scared of vampire magic. "No, no, no!"

He held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, no magic."

I closed my eyes and lay down on the pillow as he tucked the blankets in around me. "You feel okay?" he asked, and I was aware of how close his voice was.

"I'll be okay," I murmured sleepily.

"Okay then." I heard him stand up, but I thought I felt him kiss my forehead very softly. "Sweet dreams, lily girl," he whispered.

* * *

**Author's note**: Sorry I haven't updated in a few weeks! Been getting writer's block again and I've been busy with school :( But read/review, and suggestions could definitely help :D


	10. A (Little) Surprise

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bloodlines.

* * *

A (Little) Surprise

"Sydney, are you okay?" Adrian asked me softly as he helped me up from my knees.

I nodded but winced as I flushed the toilet. _What's with me throwing up half the time lately?_ "I just need to brush my teeth and I think I'll be alright."

"You've been really sick recently," Adrian remarked as I stood in front of the sink and started brushing my teeth. "Do you think we need to see a doctor?"

I shook my head and spat out the toothpaste. "No, I'm sure it's just some weird stomach bug that makes me sick a lot. Just go to the studio."

"Are you sure you'll be fine on your own?" he asked, obviously worried.

I nodded, and put his hand against my cheek. "Don't worry so much."

He kissed my forehead. "Just give me a call if you need me."

I smiled at him. "Of course."

I faced myself in the mirror once he was gone. I had to figure out what was going on with me in the past…well, the past two weeks. I didn't want Adrian to keep worrying about me, and I really wanted to know what was wrong with me.

I'd been throwing up and feeling nauseous for the past two weeks. It was really unusual for me to throw up so much since I rarely ever got sick, thanks to the lingering protection of my broken lily tattoo. Not only that but my stomach hurt a lot, I constantly got dizzy…_Maybe I was PMS-ing…_

I froze at my last thought. PMS. _When was the last time I'd had my period?_ I started to count backwards in time, and realized that the last time I'd had my period was twenty-seven days ago. It should've come three days ago, except for a slightly important fact – I had been having sex with Adrian on an almost daily basis, and we hadn't used protection. Ever.

Since we'd gotten married, I'd figured we wouldn't need protection. I was having sex with the love of my life – what need would there be for protection? I hadn't considered the consequences of my actions.

Oh God.

_Was I _pregnant_?_

I paced around the room. "No, no, no, this can't be happening," I murmured. "I can't be pregnant. No way. I can't possibly be carrying a half-vampire, half-human baby…There's no way I can be pregnant."

But deep down inside, I knew I was trying to trick myself.

I quickly grabbed my car keys and headed out the door. I was going to have to make a quick trip to the local pharmacy.

* * *

I stared at the little stick in my hand and pinched myself to make sure this wasn't something I was dreaming. That sharp pinch proved I wasn't dreaming. I was awake, and this was real life.

The sign on the pregnancy test was positive.

What was I going to do now? I was carrying a dhampir baby inside me. And I was a human. This…no, no, no.

A long time ago, I'd accepted that Moroi and dhampirs weren't the "evil creatures of the night" that I had been raised to believe they were. I'd even accepted Moroi-human romances along the way because I was in love with a Moroi myself. But…this? A human giving birth to a dhampir? This was seriously crossing the line of my much-relaxed beliefs.

It was lucky I was no longer part of the Alchemists, or I would have been sent to Re-education by now.

But a _dhampir_ baby?

I groaned, and slumped to the floor of the bathroom. I had been so stupid, to tell Adrian that we wouldn't use protection during sex. Why hadn't I considered we'd have babies this way? I knew that children would come out of not using protection, but I hadn't considered whether the baby would be a human or a dhampir…

The only humans that had dhampir babies were Keepers. There was absolutely no way I was going to move into a society of backward, uncivilized warriors that looked down on Alchemists.

What was I going to do with the baby?

On one hand, I wasn't too thrilled about being pregnant with a dhampir baby. The ramifications of this, if it spread through the Moroi world – since Adrian was still a famous royal – would be immense. I was pretty sure most Moroi and dhampirs would be shocked by this taboo being so flagrantly flaunetd. Moroi and humans had been kept apart from each other – besides feeders and Alchemists – for several centuries. And it had been for good reason.

On the other hand…this baby was half of me, and half of Adrian. How could I abort a baby that had been created out of our love for each other? This baby was the result of several years' hard struggle for us to be together.

_How could I just kill this innocent baby who was already a part of me? _

I tentatively rested my hand on my stomach. Now that I knew I was carrying a baby… I wasn't so sure I wanted to give it up anymore, despite my worries. I wanted to keep it.

But I was going to have to tell Adrian. And how would his reaction be?

I couldn't help but worry that he would ask me to abort the baby, and steeled myself to tell him later tonight.

* * *

"Adrian, I have something to tell you," I began, sitting down on the couch beside him.

He took my hands and looked intently into my eyes, his green eyes serious. "You have my full and undivided attention."

I inhaled, unsure of where to begin. How could I tell him that I was pregnant, despite deeply ingrained taboos on relationships between Moroi and humans? "So, today, after you left, I had a weird thought…"

"It can't be all that weird, compared with what I think," Adrian said, a small smile spreading over his face . "Do continue."

"I was considering the last time I'd had my period. And after I counted back…I thought there was a big possibility of my being pregnant," I said softly, looking down at our entwined hands. "I took a pregnancy test, and it confirmed my suspicions. I'm pregnant."

There was deep, dead silence for several moments. I couldn't bring myself to look at Adrian. _What is he thinking? What does he want to do?_

Then, he squeezed my hands together. "You're going to have a baby?" he asked, his eyes bright.

I nodded, confused by his reaction.

"We're going to have a baby!" he said louder, throwing his arms around me but pulling back away from me, an uncertain look on his face. "That is, unless you want to get rid of it…"

I shook my head. "I don't want to abort it," I said adamantly. "Earlier, when I'd just found out about the baby…I kind of wanted to. But then I thought about how it would be half of you and half of me, and I couldn't bring myself to continue thinking about aborting it. But…I'm worrying about the taboos…"

"It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks," Adrian said firmly. "We'll be the best parents this baby could ever ask for. I don't care if you want to raise the baby in Moroi society or out in the human world. Whatever makes you – and our baby – happy will be okay with me. I don't care if everyone else shames us for having a dhampir baby or that you're human."

I looked down at the floor, feeling shy. "I never really thought much about having children, even though I should have…"

Adrian squeezed my hands again. "I never talked to you about children, because I didn't want you to feel pressured to have a baby," he said solemnly. "I'll be happy with whatever you choose, as long as you're happy, Sydney. Even if we'd never had children, I still would've been happy because we are together."

I hugged him, feeling like my heart would burst with happiness. Being with Adrian made me happy enough, but a baby made from our love for each other was enough to make me even happier than before. A baby would only add to our happiness together.

* * *

**Author's note:** Finally fulfilling a much-requested story of Sydney finding out she's pregnant! So this is * somewhat* related to the stories_ Mrs. Ivashkov_ and _A Roman Honeymoon_. I'm not sure if I made Sydney's reaction even close to how she would really react if she found out she was having Adrian's baby, but I gave it my best try. Read, enjoy, and review!


	11. Fun at the Library

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bloodlines.

What will happen between Adrian and Sydney at the library when Adrian gets bored?

* * *

Fun at the Library

"Adrian, help me find some books on the Roman Empire," Sydney ordered, scanning the lists on the front of the shelves. The lists showed numbers – the Dewey Decimal system? – and probably listed all the book subjects. Not that I was paying that much attention.

Normally, I wasn't a big fan of libraries. Who wanted to be in a cramped place full of librarians telling you to be quiet?

But now that I was here with Sydney… suddenly, this library was more interesting. A _lot_ more interesting.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "I thought you can list everything about the Roman Empire in your sleep, Sage."

She frowned at me, crossing her arms over her chest. I couldn't help but smile when I noticed how casual her clothing was. A light lacy tank top, jeans, flats… "Ms. Terwilliger assigned us a huge paper for our final. It has to be at least eight pages long, double spaced. And for the works cited page, I don't think I can just write 'my brain' since I need other sources. I chose to write about the Roman Empire and its culture."

I chuckled at that. Sydney loved anything to do with classical Greece and Rome, so her choice of topic didn't surprise me. "But shouldn't you know enough to at least write half the paper without looking at a book?"

"Just help me find some books," she said crossly, pushing a lock of her dark blond hair away from her face.

"Fine, fine," I acquiesced, peering down the numerous rows of shelves. I couldn't even tell how many rows there were. "Any specific topics?"

"Anything about the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, and maybe a few on some things that are still a part of modern society," she said, sounding distracted.

"I insist on going for ice cream after this little trip," I said, peering at the list of numbers Sydney had been looking at earlier. "I'm using up my precious painting time for this."

Sydney stuck her tongue out at me, and I laughed before making my way down a row. I could hear her following me quietly.

I had to walk all the way down to the end of the bookshelf before finding books even covering anything about Rome. I groaned when I got there. All the books covering Roman-related things extended from the top of the bookshelf all the way to the bottom, and I turned around to look behind me. More books on Rome.

Sydney laughed at my expression. "Don't pout so much, Adrian," she said, reaching out to press her fingers over my lips. "I only gave you the easy stuff. I'm tackling the art, architecture and Roman society, just to name a few."

I shook my head, still amazed as ever by how hard she worked on her schoolwork. "A _few_?"

"Let's get started, or you'll never get to have your ice cream date," she gently teased.

_Is it really a date?_ I wondered to myself as I stooped to examine the books on the bottom shelves. _Ever since Zoe arrived, we've had to be more careful than usual about our relationship_.

Despite my complaining about having to hang out in a library today, it was somewhat like a "date." And it was a safe date. One that wouldn't lead Zoe to suspect there was something suspicious between me and Sydney.

"I found one on the origins of the Roman Empire," I said, picking one at random and turning to show Sydney.

She leafed through it and groaned. "It's mostly myths! About Aeneas after the sacking of Troy and the twins Remus and Romulus."

"Legends play a big part in a lot of Greek and Roman stuff," I said with a shrug. "Like Athena and Arachne. Athena turned Arachne into a spider after she won the weaving contest, and the Greeks thought that was why there were spiders."

She sighed but closed the book and placed it on top of a growing stack of books. I stared. "How do you already have four?"

"I can tell which ones are good and bad," she said, "unlike a certain someone." There was a mischievous spark in her brown eyes.

"If it had been that bad, you wouldn't have taken it," I pointed out.

She spun back around to the books. "Get back to work, Ivashkov, or I won't get you any ice cream."

We continued looking for books for the next fifteen minutes. She would skim the first few pages of books I chose before deciding if they were good or bad. Most of the time, she declared that the books were too redundant, but she did keep a few of the ones I picked out.

I opened one on Roman democracy and put it in the pile before standing up. I didn't want to just look at books anymore. I had something else in mind now. I took a look around to be sure that no one was near us. "That's it, I can't stand it anymore."

"What can't you stand?" Sydney asked, busily looking through a book with detailed pictures of Roman temples.

I took her hands and pulled her to her feet. She let out a slight squeak of protest as I took the book from her and set it aside. "Hey! That book was interesting!"

"I'm sure it was," I murmured, leaning in close. Her eyes widened at my closeness. "You know what's so great about libraries?"

She gulped, and I could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest. I could hear how quickly her heartbeat was racing. "What?" she breathed.

"They're so private. Especially in this section of the library. Most people are studying or relaxing in other areas of the library. This area is really quiet," I whispered.

A slow smile spread over her soft lips as she realized what I was getting at. "Are you trying to suggest something?" she asked.

I pulled her against me and pressed my lips against hers. She threw her arms around me and kissed me back enthusiastically. I would never be able to get over how delicious Sydney's lips tasted against my own. My hands tangled in her long blond hair and I moved my lips away from hers. She made a soft sound of protest, but was soon sighing in contentment as I kissed down to her neck.

I tentatively slid one tank top strap off her shoulder. She didn't protest – instead she looked up at me and slowly slid her other strap down her shoulder before licking her lips.

"Are you trying to tempt me?" I murmured. Her standing in front of me in her tank top – with both straps off her shoulders – was driving me crazy. I would've loved to take the whole thing off, but since we were still in a semipublic place…

"I'm not trying, I'm succeeding," Sydney shot back before kissing me.

I kissed her neck again before tentatively going a little lower, down to her collarbones. She didn't stop me so I continued kissing downward, kissing her bare shoulders and going down to the top of her chest. Her skin was so sweet and soft on my lips that I just wanted to kiss her all over.

I'd just moved my lips back up to Sydney's when there was an extremely loud cough that made me jump away from her. I turned and saw a middle-aged woman with a nametag around her neck. "Excuse me, but this is a library, not a place for PDA," she snapped.

Sydney seemed absolutely mortified as she quickly readjusted her tank top and tried to brush her mussed hair back into place. "Uhm, I'm sorry, ma'am," she muttered, sounding extremely flustered, very unlike the cool, collected girl she was most of the time. "We…uhh, we just got carried away for a moment…"

I flashed the librarian my most charming smile. "It won't happen again. Sorry about that."

"Make sure it doesn't," she said, fixing us both with a glare before marching off.

Sydney turned to face me. The look on her face was absolutely priceless. To say she was horrified was an understatement, and I almost wanted to laugh, but that would've been mean and made her more embarrassed than she already was. "She must've thought that we were doing – that we were about to-"

I laughed and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. Her cheeks were bright red, and I rested my hand against her burning cheeks. She looked absolutely adorable right now. "We were just a couple who got a little enthusiastic in our kissing. It's not like we were about to start getting it on and put on a show for everyone here." I would've thought she would've started scolding me for our PDA, but she didn't say anything about it. I leaned down to whisper, "Although if you did want to get it on, I wouldn't mind…"

She scowled and leaned down to pick up her books. "Let's get out of here before you drag me off to a corner to pull down my tank top straps again."

"I could always do that at home," I pointed out as I took half the stack of books.

That mischievous spark showed in Sydney's eyes again. "Last one to get to the front desk owes the winner a kiss!" she said before jogging for the front desk.

* * *

**Author's note**: Sorry I haven't updated in almost a month! Been bogged down with writer's block and school :( But hope you'll enjoy this story! Please read/review. Reviews may give me more motivation to update a little more often :)


	12. Ice Cream Date

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bloodlines.

Sequel to _Fun at the Library_.

* * *

Ice Cream Date

After loading my books into Adrian's car, I turned to him. "Are we going for that ice cream you talked about earlier? I asked brightly, remembering how he'd wanted to have ice cream as a "reward" for spending time at the library. I kind of wanted ice cream.

He nodded and opened the side door for me. "I promise that I'll take you somewhere good. Trust me, I'll find a good ice cream place."

"I never said I don't trust you," I protested as Adrian got into the driver's seat and started the engine.

He gave me a wry look before backing up the car. "Well, I know you've made big progress in eating more, but for all I know, you might start protesting that the ice cream place has too many calories."

I gave Adrian a suspicious look. "Are you planning on taking me to a make-your-own-sundae place?"

"That's not a bad idea," Adrian said, perking up.

I groaned. Although I didn't worry as much about getting fat, sundaes were still way too much for me. "No way! You'll probably make me get all chocolate with every topping under the sun."

Adrian held his hand up in surrender after we stopped at a red traffic light. "Fine, fine. No make-your-own sundae places."

* * *

We stopped at a Coldstone that was on the edge of Palm Springs. "Did it have to be so far from the rest of town?" I complained as we got out of the car, but Adrian merely smirked.

I had never been in Coldstone before – my father had even rarely allowed us to go out to ice cream shops, despite my mom's protests – and Adrian was shocked when I told him. "You have been missing out, Sage," he declared as he led me in.

I looked around. Ice cream flavors behind glass covers….and tons of toppings. I stared. M&M's, marshmallows, chocolate chips, gummy worms… My instinctive response was to yell, "This is way too many calories!" but I kept it down.

Adrian looked absolutely delighted as he studied a menu on the wall that read Signature Creations. "I think I'll get Mud Pie Mojo. No wait! I want Cookie Mintster. No…" I had to admit, it was pretty funny to watch Adrian debate over which ice cream he should get. He turned to me. "What are you getting?"

"I'm just going to get vanilla with a topping," I said with a shrug.

He stared at me. "You're in a place with tons of ice cream creations, and you're just going to get a vanilla ice cream?"

"Hey, it's a classic! It tells you if any ice cream shop is any good," I said, feeling slightly offended.

"Come on, try one of those," he said, pointing up at the menu.

"No way! Those are loaded with calories," I said, and then scolded myself for my reaction. Then I considered. I had lightened up on my calorie restrictions in the past few months…but it was okay to have limitations, wasn't it?

"Come on, just try one," Adrian begged. He sounded so cute trying to convince me to try a Signature Creation, but I wouldn't be swayed.

"You can give me a bite if you want, but I'm sticking with something simple," I told him. I went up to the counter and ordered strawberry ice cream with gummy worms. Vanilla did sound a little boring, so I decided to switch up my original choice.

Adrian sighed and shook his head, but ordered The Pie Who Loved Me. I raised my eyebrow at the dubious name – all the names were somewhat dubious, including the chocolatey Germanchökolätekäke, which didn't actually mean anything – but made no comment.

We got our ice creams and headed outside to sit under a tree. The shade would keep our ice creams from melting and protect Adrian from the blazing hot California sun. I took a bite of my strawberry ice cream and almost melted. I hadn't eaten strawberry ice cream in so long, since I'd mostly stuck with vanilla ice cream to prevent my father from criticizing my weight.

"Here, take a bite," Adrian said suddenly, holding his spoon out to me.

I eyed the spoonful doubtfully but opened my mouth anyway and swallowed. "It's pretty good. What's in it?"

Adrian shrugged, his green eyes sparkling. "I think there was fudge…and cheesecake ice cream. Not to mention some stuff that I didn't read on the menu."

For something that looked pretty fattening, it tasted amazing. I shrugged and went back to my strawberry ice cream.

When I finished, I noticed that several people walking by had given me weird looks. Even Adrian looked like he was about to burst out laughing. I frowned and asked him, "Why are people looking at me so weird?"

He laughed. "You might want to look in the mirror."

I pulled my compact mirror out of my bag and gasped. There was a smudge of strawberry ice cream on my upper lip. That was _embarrassing_. "That's just evil! Why didn't you say anything?"

"I wanted to see how long it would take for you to notice," he admitted, sounding sheepish.

I put my mirror away and was about to fish around for a tissue when Adrian caught hold of my hand. "I have an idea for getting it off your face."

I looked up at him, instantly curious, and leaned in a little. "How are you going to get it off me without using your hands?"

"Like this," he murmured, leaning extremely close and swiftly kissing me.

I was shocked that he was kissing me so publicly, but I couldn't bring myself to care that we were engaged in massive PDA. I just kissed him back enthusiastically. The ice cream on his lips added to the pleasure of the kiss. My tongue traced his lips before he opened his mouth, and I couldn't help but enjoy the taste of ice cream on his tongue. I distantly heard some whistles and catcalls but couldn't bring myself to care.

We pulled away and Adrian flashed me a somewhat smug smile. "And that is how you get ice cream off someone's face, Sydney."

I suddenly panicked and looked around to make sure that there was no one from Amberwood who was around. To everyone there, we were supposed to be siblings. If anyone had just seen us kissing, our cover would completely be blown. _Please let no one have seen us making out_. Luckily, there was no one I knew around.

Adrian was laughing, which seemed a bit out of character, even for him and his laidback attitude. "Don't worry, Sage. I purposely picked this place so that we'd be safe from prying eyes."

Suddenly I understood why he'd wanted to come to this Coldstone so badly. "You did this on purpose," I accused. "You wanted to get a chance to kiss me. Didn't you already get your chance at the library?" _Not to mention a chance for other things_… I almost blushed at the memory.

"True, but I knew I wanted ice cream even before our little…incident at the library," Adrian said. The suggestiveness in "incident" made me blush for real.

"Let's get home before you decide to think of another excuse to kiss me," I grumbled, standing up.

"Maybe you should come to my apartment instead. I'm very good at coming up with excuses why you should kiss me…and for other things," he whispered into my ear. "Especially since it's such a hot day…"

I looked at him, and saw the mischief in his eyes. "Maybe I'll give you good reasons why you _should_," I whispered back. "I mean, like you said, it _is_ a really hot day."

* * *

**Author's note**: Hope you enjoyed a little Sydrian fluff here ^^ Read/review, and put suggestions :D The little kiss was inspired by a scene from the K-drama _Secret Garden_ where there was cream on the leading girl's face and the leading guy kissed it off her XD


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